Bismarck, N.D.: S.D. woman earns title

September 14, 2007

Shere Lynn Wright, a member of Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, is the new Miss Indian Nations. Wright, who belongs to the Sicangu Lakota/Rosebud Sioux, was selected as the 15th Miss Indian Nations on Saturday at the United Tribes International Powwow in Bismarck, N.D. Wright, 26, is a student at Sinte Gleska University in Rosebud and is the daughter of Lenard and Daisy Wright of Rosebud. Wright believed that she would be a good candidate for Miss Indian Nations. In a letter of intent, she wrote that she is proud to be Native American. “I know the history and culture and I am not afraid to express my feelings in public. I come from humble surroundings and have empathy for the people and can relate to them,” she wrote. “Everyone says there's such helplessness in Indian Country,” Wright said tearfully to those attending the coronation. “But the young ladies in this program show that's not true. They inspired me.” Wright is vice president of the He Sapa Wacipi/Black Hills Powwow and a former runner up in the Miss Indian Nations Program. Competing for the national title were four other candidates from tribes around the country. Selected second runner-up and also winning the Children's Choice Award was Ta Sunke Gli Nanji Win of McLaughlin, a member of the Standing Rock Lakota. Mary Eagle of Fort Yates, N.D., a member of the Standing Rock Sioux/Chippewa, received the Tribal Chairman's Award. From staff reports